The Nervous System

Introduction

DefinitionThe network of nerve cells and fibers that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body. The system of nerves and nerve centers in an animal or human, including the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and ganglia.

Major Functions of the Nervous System The 3 major functions are Sensory, Input Integration, and Motor Output.

Interactions of the Nervous SystemThe system of communication between body and control of body functions; recognition of sensory stimuli, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.Disorders of the Nervous SystemVascular disorders, such as stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage and hematoma, and extradural hemorrhage Infections, such as meningitis, encephalitis, polio, and epidural abscess Structural disorders, such as brain or spinal cord injury, Bell's palsy, cervical spondylosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, brain or spinal cord tumors, peripheral neuropathy, and Guillain-Barré syndrome Functional disorders, such as headache, epilepsy, dizziness, and neuralgia Degeneration, such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington's chorea, and Alzheimer's disease

Fun Facts About Nervous System A newborn baby's brain grows almost 3 times during the course of its first year.The left side of human brain controls the right side of the body and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body.A New born baby loses about half of their nerve cells before they are born.As we get older, the brain loses almost one gram per year.There are about 13, 500,00 neurons in the human spinal cord.